The Taliban government in Afghanistan has instituted a ban preventing women from visiting the Band-e-Amir national park in Bamiyan province. This decision was announced by Afghanistan’s acting minister of virtue and vice, Mohammad Khaled Hanafi. The ban is said to be in response to women not adhering to hijab (Islamic dress code) while inside the park.
Band-e-Amir holds significant importance as a tourist attraction in Afghanistan and was designated as the country’s first national park in 2009. Known for its natural beauty and unique geological formations, the park has been a popular destination for families and tourists.
In response to the ban, Mohammad Khaled Hanafi stated that visiting the park for sightseeing purposes was not obligatory, as reported by Afghan agency Tolo News. He called upon religious clerics and security agencies to enforce the ban on women’s entry into the park until a solution could be found.
Religious clerics in Bamiyan explained that the women who were visiting the park and not following the hijab rules were not local residents but visitors from other areas. Sayed Nasrullah Waezi, the head of the Bamiyan Shia Ulema Council, clarified that complaints about the lack of hijab or improper hijab were related to non-local women.
The announcement of this ban coincided with Women’s Equality Day. Afghan former Member of Parliament Mariam Solaimankhil expressed her sentiments on social media, sharing a poem and expressing hope for a future when women could return to the park.
Fereshta Abbasi, a representative from Human Rights Watch, criticized the ban, describing it as a “total disrespect to the women of Afghanistan.”
Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, questioned the necessity of banning women from visiting Band-e-Amir in order to comply with Sharia law and Afghan culture.
The Taliban has a history of imposing temporary bans on various activities for women, including preventing them from attending schools in December 2022. This ban on visiting Band-e-Amir national park is the latest in a series of restrictions placed on women’s activities since the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan in August 2021. Most recently, the Taliban ordered the closure of hair and beauty salons and prevented women from sitting for national university entrance exams in mid-July.